Sweetest Taboo

Evelyn stared at her bandaged finger, trying to see how far she could bend it without the pain to surge up her hand. Brian was right next to her, driving them back home.

Just like she had anticipated, the cut hadn’t needed any stitches, so therefore, the trip to the hospital had been a quick and, in her point of view, a useless one. Of course that even if it needed stitches, she knew it wouldn’t be long before they were back home, it was not like they would go to a public hospital and wait for hours just to get it done. Her father could afford private hospitals.

They were still having dinner when Michelle arrived home. She seemed quite intrigued by their late dinner, but it was only when Evelyn showed her the white clad finger, almost like some sort of award, that Michelle asked what had happened.

“It was just a cut.” She shrugged, once again trying to bend it to its maximum. She could see nothing but pure concern in Michelle’s face, but it didn’t faze her. Just because she cared for Evelyn, it didn’t mean the feeling was mutual.

“I told you to be careful around knives. You shouldn’t be using them as mindlessly as you do.” Michelle’s voice was high pitched and it made Evelyn’s temper rise.

“It was just a cut, Michelle!” She didn’t want to shout, but had ended up doing it. “I’m not a baby anymore, I can handle some pain.” Evelyn’s voice had returned to its normal intensity and she narrowed her eyes at her. Trust me, was her silent addendum.

“It was a cut that almost needed stitches.” Evelyn’s sensed that her father’s tone wasn’t a happy one. She wasn’t happy either; the night hadn’t turned out the way she had originally planned.

Evelyn needed to face it, she had panicked. Had she thought things through, she could have been able to use her father’s concern in her advantage. Instead of that, she now had to endure their lecture and pretend that she was actually listening.



“Are you going to Karen’s house after school?” Danielle asked Evelyn, just as the school bell rang, announcing the end of the third period.

“I don’t feel like it.” She shook her head. “I’ve got volleyball practice, and a lot of homework to do afterwards.”

“Oh, come on!” Danielle bumped her shoulder against Evelyn’s. “Brent’s gonna be there.”

Evelyn stopped on her tracks. “Why would I care about that? I don’t like him Dani, I don’t care how sweet and nice he is to me.” She rolled her eyes at the usage of the adjectives.

The darker haired girl shook her head. She didn't understand Evelyn, she had to be the only girl she knew who didn't care about boys. It's not like she didn't like them, one could think that maybe Evelyn was into girls, but Danielle knew that wasn't the case. She had seen her act around boys and talk to them in a way that only a girl interested in boys would, but always ended up not wanting anything to do with them.

As they walked into the classroom, two other girls joined their conversation, them too asking Evelyn if she was going to the party.

"Besides, don't you think you're too young to be at a party arranged by seniors?" Evelyn added after giving the girls the same justification she had given Danielle.

"Oh Evelyn, don't be so boring! You've got to enjoy what life gives you." The blond girl tilted her head at her. "It's a chance to get to know a few older guys." She winked at the shorter girl beside her and both laughed.

"It's a chance to get drunk and do something you'll regret."

The remark earned a roll of eyes from the blond haired girl. "Gosh Evelyn, sometimes you sound like my mother."

Even Danielle had to agree with that. Sometimes she looked so much older than them that it was almost strange. She attributed that to the fact of having grown with just her mother; she herself had lost her father almost a year ago and knew the struggles of having only one parent.

Not many people knew the truth about Evelyn's family. They knew she lived with her father and stepmother, but most people assumed her parents were divorced. Some of them knew that her mother had died, but Danielle was actually the only one who knew that she had spent the first eleven years of her life without even knowing who her father was.

Now, everybody knew who her father was. Evelyn even used to say that that was the reason why she had become so popular in school, why boys liked her and every girl wanted to be friends with her. Danielle didn't exactly agree with it, Evelyn was an honor roll student that excelled at pretty much everything, sports included. Not to mention that she was pretty. She didn't need her father’s fame to make her popular, but Danielle understood her point of view.



Evelyn laid in silence, the complete darkness of her bedroom giving her the comfort she needed while she waited. She'd been waiting for the past hour.

The front door of the house opened. Her body jolted up from bed. Her fluttering stomach already knew who had arrived home and the huge, pleasure filled smile agreed with it.

She glanced at the mirror, fixing her hair and clothes before leaving the bedroom. She always made sure to look perfect before meeting her father.

However, the loud voices that came from downstairs when she opened the door, made her smile evaporate.

"That's not enough!" She recognized the voice as being Zacky's.

"Yeah, we need more beer!" An even louder shout echoed through the house. Johnny.

Evelyn grunted and scrunched her lips. They were all probably downstairs, the five of them.

Well, six, since Michelle always had to cling to dad, not matter what.

She liked them, she really did. They were all fun to be around and had made her feel welcome since the first day she'd met them, but when it came to her father, she couldn't help but feel jealousy seep through her veins every time she had to share his attention with anyone else, not just with Michelle.

Evelyn took one step backward, returning into the shadows of her room. She could play this in two ways. She could either walk downstairs, pretend that she was excited to see everybody and engage in conversation with them like she always did, or she could avoid everyone this time.

She palmed the nightstand in search for the lamp switch, flipping it on and giving the room a comfortable glow once the light shone. Next to it was a picture of her and her mother, from around five years ago.

She could try a different approach this time, she thought to herself, taking the frame in her hands and sitting on the edge of her bed. Maybe this time she could make her father come find her, instead of being always her to go find him.

Her lips slowly widened, her mind conjuring a scene of what would happen once her father came looking for her.

And it didn’t take too long, not more than a few seconds in fact, for her to hear a knock on her bedroom door.

“Oh, hi dad. I didn’t realize you already were home.” She rested the frame on her lap.

“What were you doing?” He took a seat next to her, taking the frame from her lap.

“I was just thinking.” She watched his smile sadden. “About mom. I know it has been three years, but I still do miss her.”

For the eleven years Evelyn had lived with her mother, she had always wondered who her father was, but when her mother chose not to tell her, she didn’t press the subject. She was happy living with just her mother.

“I miss her, too.”

Brian could still recall the day he had gotten that phone call. The phone call that had informed him that he had a daughter.

He didn’t want to believe it; he didn’t remember how many times he had asked the lady on the other side of the phone if it was a joke, until she told her mother’s name. Suddenly everything seemed to make sense, and Brian went silent.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t around before, Ev.”

Hannah and Brian had been dating for almost two years when they both graduated from high school. Just like Matt and Valary had been high school sweethearts who had ended up marrying each other, at one point so did he think about them the same way.

Until the one day when she just disappeared.

First, she stopped answering his calls. None of her friends knew what had happened to her. When he went to her house, he found it empty, it a “for sale” sign in its front lawn.

He didn’t understand it. It seemed like everything was just a nightmare. One day she was his girlfriend and the next it looked like she never even existed.

“It’s not your fault, dad.” She shook her head. “My grandparents never wanted me to know who you were and that was exactly the reason why I went all the way to find you. They were my legal guardians, but I could never live with people that hated me as much as they do.”

“They don’t hate you.” His arm hugged her shoulders, moving her closer to him.

“Yes they do. They never even wanted me to exist. Is there any way to hate someone more than that?”

It was when he met Evelyn for the first time that everything piece of the puzzle started to fit in. Hannah had gotten pregnant and the girl that stood before him was the spitting image of her. Same hair, same eyes, same smile. He realized that her parents had made the desperate attempt of keeping up the appearances and, upon finding out about her pregnancy, had moved out of the state.

“I’m sorry, Evelyn.” He didn’t really know what else to say. Her grandparents never had wanted her to be born, they had almost forced Hannah to abort and, even after Evelyn was born, they kept on pushing her to give the baby for adoption. That had made her move to Texas, just the two of them. He couldn't possibly imagine how hard it could have been for Hannah, she was only nineteen at the time. He only wished he could have known sooner.

Evelyn looked up at him, feeling the anxiety in her stomach. She had to seize the opportunity.

People should never underestimate pity. Some might say that they don’t like others to feel that way about them, but when used properly, pity can be a powerful tool. It can make others say or do the things you want to.

She closed her eyes and leaned against him, slowly enough so that she could stop herself if her father decided to reject her advance. But he didn’t.

It was just a peck, a simple lip-to-lip touch, but it had been enough for Evelyn to feel a wave of heat on her stomach, goose bumps up her covered arms and legs and a shiver down her spine that almost made her shake.

She immediately blushed, the smile on her lips only present because she couldn’t handle her excitement anymore. Thankfully, it could be mistaken with shyness.

And there it was: a smile of sympathy on her father’s lip, followed by a pat on her leg, making him leave her bedroom without a word about the kiss from seconds ago.

Ah, pity.